Minor Protests Launched Over Kyrgyz Elections

Several minor demonstrations have been mounted in Kyrgyzstan by protesters claiming that last weekend's parliamentary elections were flawed.

Some 100 protesters rallied today in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, to protest the results and call for a recount of votes. Those demonstrators allege that the October 10 vote was rigged in favor of Ata-Jurt, a nationalist party whose members include many former colleagues of Kurmanbek Bakiev, the president ousted after a bloody April revolt.

Another 100 or so people gathered in the southern city of Osh to protest the defeat of their party, United Kyrgyzstan, in the elections.

Akylbek Zhaparov, one of the leaders of the third-placed Ar-Namys party, today admitted there could be irregularities over the number of ballots cast in the election and said all five political parties that won seats in parliament had agreed to compare their tallies.